The invention relates to a device and a method for manufacturing lollipops.
It is known to supply a strand of confectionery to a lollipop machine, which is provided with a drum having a series of lower moulds on it and a series of upper moulds that can successively be closed onto them, which together define a mould space for manufacturing so-called round lollipops. The upper moulds are offset half a mould pitch with respect to the lower moulds, such that each upper mould defines half the upper side of the one mould and half the upper side of the next mould, and in between is provided with a downwardly extending rib, cooperating with the opposite rib between the lower moulds. After closing the upper mould, which takes place by tilting the upper mould in a plane containing the centre line of the drum, on the one hand a stamp is pressed into the mould cavity from one axial end, and after that from the other axial end a stick into the lollipop mass. After approximately half a revolution of the drum the upper moulds are opened again and the lollipops are taken over by a transferrer for transfer to a packaging conveyor, in which they are packaged in a sandwich packaging.
The strand is supplied in a more or less tangential direction to the drum. For manufacturing round lollipops having a filling, a strand is supplied which is provided with a filling in the centre.
It is furthermore known to manufacture and package flat lollipops, that means lollipops having an unround or flattened or perfectly flat cross-section, in a sandwich packaging. A strand of confectionery is then supplied in flat shape to a drum provided with a circumferential series of moulds. The moulds are accessible to the strand from one axial side, which strand is subsequently cut through by means of a separate cutter, after which the moulds are closed. At the radial inside the mould is pressurised, after which a stick is inserted from the other axial side.
It is an object of the invention to provide a device and method for manufacturing flat lollipops having a filling.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device and method for manufacturing flat lollipops at high speed.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a device and method for manufacturing flat lollipops having rounded off edges.